A Turkish Muslim televangelist has set social media aflame after he confidently claimed that men who masturbate “will find their hands pregnant in the afterlife” and “asking for its rights”.

Self-styled televangelist Mücahid Cihad Han dived into some delicate matters on May 24 when he answered his viewers’ questions on private television station 2000 TV, Turkish media has reported. Han initially looked puzzled when a viewer sought his advice, saying that he “kept masturbating, although he was married, and even during the Umrah,” a pilgrimage to Mecca performed by Muslims which can be undertaken at any time of the year, in contrast to the Hajj.

After the viewer reiterated his concerns a few more times, Han told the man that Islam strictly prohibits masturbation as a “haram” (forbidden) act. “Moreover, one hadith states that those who have sexual intercourse with their hands will find their hands pregnant in the afterlife, complaining against them to God over its rights,” he said, referring to what he claimed to be a saying of Prophet Muhammad.

“If our viewer was single, I could recommend he marry, but what can I say now?” the televangelist added, advising the viewer to “resist Satan’s temptations.”

“Istimna,” the Arabic term for masturbation that Han also referred to, is a controversial issue in Islam, as there have been varying opinions on its permissibility throughout history. The Quran has no clear reference to masturbation and the authenticity of many hadiths is questionable.

Despite Han’s assertive religious stance, only a limited number of Islamic interpretations categorize masturbation as “haram” (forbidden), while most of others call it a “makruh” (disliked) act. Many of the mainstream Islamic interpretations even permit it in certain conditions, like if the act could be used to avoid the temptation of an extramarital affair.

Han, who has more than 12,000 followers on Twitter, was mocked on Turkish social media on May 25, after newspapers published his latest television “fatwa.” Fatwa refers to an answer given by an Islamic scholar when a Muslim poses a question he/she needs to be answered in the Islamic point of view.

“Are there any hand-gynaecologists in the afterlife? Is abortion allowed there?” one Twitter user joked, while mentioning Han’s Twitter user name.

“So you think that being pregnant is a God-given punishment?” another user asked accusingly.